Department V

Margaret Pickard

Office – (702) 455-5303

Fax – (702) 383-5068

Law Clerk – (702) 455-2033

Email – familylc@clarkcountycourts.us

Location – FAMILY Courtroom 12

Family Court House
601 North Pecos RD, Las Vegas, NV. 89155

Judge Margaret Pickard currently presides over dependency cases in Department V, Eighth Judicial District Court.  Prior to taking the bench as a District Court Judge, Judge Pickard served as a Hearing Master for five years for the Family Division, hearing cases in child abuse and neglect and juvenile delinquency.

Judge Pickard has extensive experience working in family law.  Prior to her appointment to the court, she worked as a Family Law Mediator and Parenting Coordinator, assisting parents involved in high conflict custody cases to work cooperatively to resolve timeshare disputes.  In addition, Judge Pickard brought the Cooperative Parenting program to UNLV, teaching separating and divorcing parents involved in Family Court cases how to remove their children from parental conflict.  In 2011, she was awarded the Peacemaker of the Year by the Mediators of Southern Nevada, for her work in this program.

From 2014-2018, Judge Pickard served on the Executive Council of the Nevada State Bar’s Family Law Section.  During this time, she was the Co-Editor of the Nevada Family Law Report and Co-chair of the Child Witness Committee, developing standardized protocols for conducting child interviews in the Family Court system.  Judge Pickard has authored several articles for the Nevada Family Law Report and regularly trained Family Court judges and attorneys throughout Nevada to develop best practices in creating parenting plans and holiday schedules for separating and divorcing families.

Judge Pickard is the author of several books, including The Parenting Guidebook.  In 2012, Margaret and her colleague, Judge Stacy Rocheleau, were the hosts of the popular radio show, Divorce War Radio.

Judge Pickard graduated from the University of California, Davis, magna cum laude, with a B.A. in Sociology.  She later received her Juris Doctorate from the King Hall School of Law, at UC Davis, where she served as the Managing Editor of the UC Davis Law Review.

Since 2012, Judge Pickard and her husband, Senator Keith Pickard, have actively worked in the Las Vegas recovery community, helping youth who are struggling with addiction.  The Pickards have provided over 200 community presentations on facing and overcoming addiction.

Location of Hearings

  • Department V hearings are held via Zoom video conferencing and in-person at the Family Courthouse at 601 North Pecos Ave, Las Vegas, Nevada 89101, Courtroom 12. Video conferencing is preferred. No Request for Audio/Visual Appearance is required. There is no cost to the parties. Please contact your attorney or DFS Caseworker for the Meeting ID for your hearing.
  • No weapons are allowed at the courthouse. There is no eating, drinking, smoking or chewing gum during hearings, whether by video conference or in-person.

Courtroom Decorum

  • While on a video conference or in the courtroom, sit quietly when court is in session. Do not talk or whisper. The court proceedings are being recorded.
  • All cellular telephones and electronic devices must be turned off before entering the video conference or the courtroom.
  • When entering the video conference on BlueJeans, please identify yourself, to make sure you are routed to the correct hearing, as follows:
Counsel: Attorney Smith
Party-parent: Last Name
Foster Parents: Placement, Mother’s Last Name
CASA: CASA Mother’s Last Name
CAP: CAP Last Name
DDA: DDA Last Name

CPS/DFS: CPS/DFS Last Name

Note: You will initially be placed in the waiting room until your hearing is called. The screen will appear black. Please mute your audio and video. Your case will be called as soon as practicable.

Courtroom Attire

  • Proper courtroom attire is required for video conference and in-person hearings.
  • No shorts or tank tops are allowed in the courtroom and shoes are required. T-shirts, which show offensive slogans or pictures, are not allowed. Hats should be removed before appearing by video conference or entering the courtroom.

Counsel

  • The Court will appoint each parent/ guardian ONE attorney if the parent/guardian cannot afford an attorney. Parents and guardians must be respectful towards their appointed attorneys. The use of profanity, racial slurs, and raised voices is not permitted and may be grounds for an attorney withdrawing from representation.

Department of Family Services

  • Parents and guardians must be respectful towards the Department of Family Services at all times. The use of profanity, threats, racial slurs, and raised voices is not permitted and may be reported to the Court in court filings.

Attorneys

  • Attorneys are expected to maintain the highest ethical standards at all times, be punctual to hearings and trials, or notify the court marshal of any scheduling conflicts prior to the scheduled hearing. Attorneys must be civil to one another, as well as to all parties, witnesses, and court personnel.
Documents

DFS Roadmap English
Family Court Overview of Dependency Proceedings
Family Treatment Court Flyer English
Transcript Request
DFS Roadmap Spanish
Application for Court Appointed Dependency Counsel
2021 Release of Records DFS
Liberación de Información
Tribunal de Tratemiento Familiar Espanol
DFS Family Guidebook
Options for Aging Out of Foster Care
Department V Zoom Information (Effective February 5th 2024)

Current Assignment

  • Effective January 1, 2021, Department V, Family Court Division, is assigned to hear dependency cases originating out of the Department of Family Services’ Central Division.
  • The purpose of dependency cases, also known as child welfare cases, is to ensure the safety of minor children. If you would like additional information about the Dependency Court process or the Department of Family Services, see the link provided above.   See DFS Roadmap Above
  • If your child has been removed from parental care based on allegations of parental substance use or mental health issues, please contact the Family Treatment Court Coordinator to begin services immediately.

Schedule

Note: If you fail to appear at your scheduled hearing,

the Court may proceed without you.

 

  • Mondays
    • 9:00 am Preliminary Protective Hearings
    • 10:00 am Initial Termination of Parental Rights Hearings (Closed)
    • 11:00 am Termination of Parental Rights Hearings (Closed)
    • 1:30 pm Evidentiary Hearings (Closed)
  • Tuesdays/Thursdays
    • 8:30 am Adoptions (Closed)
    • 9:00 am Preliminary Protective Hearings
    • 9:30 am Pre-Trial Conferences
    • 10:30 am Pleas (Tuesday Units A/B and Thursdays Units C/D)
    • 1:00 pm Dispositional Hearings
    • 2:00 pm Motion Hearings
    • 2:30 pm Permanency Planning Hearings/Review Hearings
    • 4:00 pm Post-TPR Review Hearings
  • Wednesday
    • 9:00 am Preliminary Protective Hearings
    • 9:00 am UCCJEA Hearings
    • 10:30 am Guardianship Citation Hearings
    • 10:30 am NRS 432B.147/555 Hearings
    • 1:00 pm Mediations
  • Fridays
    • 9:00 am Preliminary Protective Hearings
    • 10:00 am Evidentiary Hearings
    • 1:30 pm Evidentiary Hearings.

Pro Bono

  • Pro Bono CAP or CASA are to check in with the courtroom clerk prior to calendar and their case will be called first.

Submission of Orders

  • Proposed orders must be submitted in PDF format to DeptVInbox@ClarkCountyCourts.us
  • Only one order can be attached per e-mail and must also include e-mail correspondence from counsel approving the use of their electronic signature. The e-mail subject line must contain the case number, filing event code and the name of the document (i.e., “J-20-123456, Out-of-Home Order”).
  • Proposed orders must be submitted to Department V within ten (10) days of notification by the Court, pursuant to EDCR 7.21.

Transcripts

  • Contact Court Reporter for the Official Record See Transcript Request Form Above
  • All matters are recorded. Counsel can request a transcript of the proceedings by completing a Transcript Order Form (see above) and emailing is to hoskint@clarkcountycourts.us.